YEREVAN. – A total of 128,200 tourists visited Armenia between January and March 2013, the National Statistical Service informs.   

As a result, the number of tourists visiting Armenia increased by 22.9 percent, as compared to the first quarter of last year. 

To note, however, substantially less number of tourists from Iran visited Armenia this March, during the Iranian Nowruz (New Year) holiday. In general, around 30,000 Iranians used to visit the country during this holiday, but—in line with preliminary estimates—their number was approximately 10,000 this year. The reduction in the number of Iranian tourists is primarily due to the difficulties in obtaining foreign currency in Iran.

Separately, 137,200 people left Armenia, from January to March 2013, for tourism purposes; this indicator is a 14.2-percent increase from the corresponding period in 2012.